SANTA CLARA, Calif., (February 1, 2006) – Leading video games publisher and developer NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc. announced today that Curious George™ has shipped for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, Xbox® video game system, Nintendo GameCube™, Game Boy® Advance and PC. Based on the February 10th animated feature film of the same name from Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment, Curious George allows players to jump in and control the world’s most curious chimp through an array of madcap mishaps and mischievous fun. Curious George is rated E for Everyone by the ESRB.

For more than 60 years, children and adults alike have followed the tales of Curious George – known for his insatiable inquisitiveness and taste for adventure. The story begins as The Man with the Yellow Hat travels to Africa in search of a lost artifact and returns with some unexpected cargo — a precocious chimp named George.

Curious George allows players to meet and interact with their favorite characters from the animated film in this exciting and colorful game world. As the fun-loving George, players can run, jump, climb and swing through 12 action-packed levels including the jungle, museum and Big City. Players must also use the character’s skills, which include crafty escapes and distracting performances, to elude trouble and avoid one entertaining predicament after another. Throughout George’s big adventure, players are encouraged to be curious and explore the “Curious Objects” in each environment – drawers to peek in, machines to activate, trunks to pop open and even chairs to bounce on! Interacting with these objects awards players “Curious Points,” which enable them to purchase items in the Museum Gift Shop including concept art, scenes from the animated movie and accessories for George. Curious George’s bonus features and challenging mini-games provide players hours of replay beyond the main story.

“We couldn’t be more pleased how well this game brings to life the loveable and playful nature of George in both the console and handheld video games,” said Jeff Lujan, business director at NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc. “Our partnership with Universal has been instrumental in developing a video game that not only captures George’s more modern look, but also contains countless hours of action and adventure the whole family can enjoy!”

Curious George is developed for consoles and the PC by Monkey Bar Games and for handheld gaming systems by Torus Games through a licensing agreement with Universal Studios Consumer Products Group.

For more information on Curious George, please visit http://www.curiousgeorgegame.com/.

About NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc.

NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc. is an interactive entertainment software publisher and developer based in Santa Clara, CA. The company is a subsidiary of the newly formed NAMCO BANDAI Holdings (USA) Inc. based in Cypress, CA.

On September 29, 2005, Bandai Co., Ltd. and NAMCO LIMITED implemented a management integration to form NAMCO BANDAI Holdings Inc. This step was taken to compete more effectively on the global stage in the fast-changing entertainment industry and to deliver further growth.

The resulting BANDAI NAMCO Group is a global entertainment group involved in business fields ranging from toys, amusement facilities, video game software and visual software, to apparel, sundries and network content.

As previous separate entities (NAMCO HOMETEK INC. and Bandai Games Inc.) the companies were each known for creating some of the industry’s top franchises including: Tamagotchi®, Tekken®, Power Rangers, SOULCALIBUR®, Teen Titans, Dead to Rights®, Pac-Man World™, Inuyasha, Digimon, Ridge Racer®, Time Crisis® and ACECOMBAT®. For more information about NAMCO BANDAI America Inc. and its products log onto www.namcobandaigames.com.

About Curious George books

Originally published in 1941, the book Curious George has never been out of print since. Authors H. A. Rey and his wife Margret, creative partners who fled Europe during the Nazi occupation and settled in Cambridge, Massachusetts, wrote the original seven Curious George tales. In 1998 Houghton-Mifflin began publishing new Curious George adventures and continues to release new titles and formats. Curious George titles have sold more than 27 million copies worldwide and have been published in 17 languages, making the little monkey who left the jungle with The Man With the Yellow Hat one of the best-selling and most enduring characters in children’s literature.

Curious George and related characters, created by Margret and H.A. Rey, are copyrighted and trademarked by Houghton Mifflin Company and used under license. Licensed Universal Studios Licensing LLLP. All rights reserved.

About Curious George film

Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment bring Curious George, the original “monkey see, monkey do” chimp, to the screen in an all-new animated adventure based upon the beloved tales that have been enchanting readers for more than 60 years. George, the inquisitive little guy with an insatiable taste for adventure, sets off in a brand new tale for the big screen, where his spunky and fun-loving nature endears him to new friends he meets along the way and (of course) lands him in a series of (mis-) adventures.

Produced by Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Jon Shapiro and David Kirschner, Curious George is directed by Matt O’Callaghan. Will Ferrell (Elf, Old School) lends his voice to The Man With the Yellow Hat. Dick Van Dyke, Drew Barrymore, David Cross, Eugene Levy and Joan Plowright are also among the distinguished cast of voices.

This film has not yet been rated. Please consult http://www.filmratings.com/ or http://www.parentalguide.org/ for more information.

About Curious George TV

Imagine Entertainment, WGBH Boston and Universal Studios Home Entertainment Family Productions (USHEFP), are producing an animated Curious George preschool television series based on the literary classic. The series airs Monday through Friday on PBS Kids starting Fall 2006. Curious George will use George’s insatiable curiosity as a way of acquainting preschoolers with key concepts in math, science and design engineering technology. The series will encourage inquiry and curiosity, promote hands-on exploration, and show parents and caregivers how to support children’s science and math-related play. George’s memorable misadventures from dismantling clocks to rounding up errant bunnies will offer a perfect vehicle for motivating kids to expand their own investigations of the world. William H. Macy will narrate the series.

About Universal Studios Consumer Products Group
Universal Studios Consumer Products Group is responsible for global licensing and retail strategies as well as building brand recognition of the extensive catalogue of NBC Universal properties. Universal Studios Consumer Products Group is a unit of NBC Universal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Formed in May 2004 through the combining of NBC and Vivendi Universal Entertainment, NBC Universal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, and world-renowned theme parks. NBC Universal is 80%-owned by General Electric, with 20% controlled by Vivendi Universal.

"Curious George" movie merchandise © Universal Studios. Curious George and related characters, created by Margret and H. A. Rey, are copyrighted and trademarked by Houghton Mifflin Company and used under license. Licensed by Universal Studios Licensing LLLP. All rights reserved.

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Posted: February 1, 2006